Winter's Farewell

🇨​​🇭​​🇦​​🇵​​🇹​​🇪​​🇷​ 𝟏₁

Claire had always said the kitchen was her sanctuary. She loved getting lost in the aromas, the sounds, and the colors. That day was no exception. She was preparing an improvised stew with whatever was in the fridge. Soft music played in the background, blending with the rhythmic sound of the knife chopping vegetables. Her movements were automatic, almost choreographed, but her mind wandered in all directions—a kind of mental dance that only found balance among pots and pans.

"Another new recipe?" Leevi's voice came from the doorway.

She didn't even need to turn around to know he was there, casually leaning against the doorframe, cigarette in hand. It was a ritual for them. He'd show up unannounced, and she always knew that despite his apparent disinterest, he would eventually end up sitting close by, watching her as usual. Their routine was comfortable, like they'd been doing it forever.

"You know how I am," Claire answered with a smile. "Always experimenting. Are you staying for dinner?"

Leevi shrugged, tossing the cigarette and crushing it under the toe of his boot at the kitchen entrance.

"Depends on how good that stuff you're making is," he replied, approaching with his usual calm and sitting on the counter like he always did, watching.

There was something about his presence that made Claire feel calmer, more at peace with herself. They didn't need to talk much to understand each other, and that was what she loved most about being with him. Even though Claire sometimes talked nonstop, with Leevi, she didn't feel the need to fill the silences. They shared them as something precious.

"Hey, if you keep calling it 'that stuff' instead of 'my culinary masterpiece,' I'll leave you without dinner," Claire teased, tossing a carrot at him playfully.

Leevi caught it in midair, a small, teasing smile appearing on his face before he threw it back into the bowl.

"Don't torture me with your threats, please," he responded in a dramatic tone.

"How was your day?" she asked while stirring the stew. There was something in her tone that hinted at a bit of expectation, as if she were hoping Leevi's answer would bring something more interesting than the monotonous "fine" he usually gave.

"I finished another book," Leevi said, slowly exhaling a cloud of smoke. "And I watched some Marvel movies again."

Claire rolled her eyes with a smile. She knew he could watch those movies until the end of time without getting tired of them, and she had long since stopped trying to understand it. For her, a movie was enough once in a while, but Leevi had a special connection to that universe, something she had never fully shared, though she pretended to be interested just to see him get excited over the tiniest details.

"And how was it? Is Spider-Man still your favorite?" she asked, almost out of habit.

"Always," he replied, but without much enthusiasm this time.

That made Claire look up a bit, studying his expression more closely. Something in his tone had changed, albeit subtly. It wasn't that he'd ever been the life of the party, but today he sounded more subdued than usual, more distant.

She shrugged it off, telling herself he was probably just tired. After all, Leevi had always been somewhat reserved, but he had never completely shut her out. Not yet, she thought, pushing away the unease that small change had triggered.

Meanwhile, Leevi stared out the kitchen window. He seemed lost in his own thoughts, as if he were far away, in a place she didn't have access to. Claire tried not to give it too much importance, but the feeling that something wasn't quite right began to echo in the back of her mind.